[JURIST] Russian lawmakers in the city of St. Petersburg on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved an initial reading of a bill that would impose fines against people convicted of promoting homosexuality, including gays or lesbians who are open about their sexuality. The legislation, which was supported by the ruling United Russia party [AFP report], would ban gay pride parades, and any activity in public which could influence children and that could be viewed as promoting a gay, lesbian, transgender or LGBT lifestyle. Individuals convicted under the law would be subject to fines between 3,000 and 5,000 rubles ($100-$160 USD) [Moscow Times report], while organizations could be fined up to 50,000 rubles for “promoting” homosexuality. Sponsors of the bill claim it is necessary because homosexual propaganda “threatens” Russia [RIA Novosti report] and that “sexual deviation” negatively impacts Russian children. Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of the Russian Parliament [official website, in Russian] and former governor of St. Petersburg, noted his support for the measure and indicated that a similar national ban should be considered. Russian gay rights supporters condemned the bill as an attempt to politicize the issue and bolster political support for the United Russia party in St. Petersburg among the uneducated population. They condemned the bill as being unprofessional, due to the presence of numerous spelling errors, and excessively regressive. According to legal scholars, the Russian Constitution [text] may allow limitations to be placed on the rights of homosexuals due to the constitutional ability to balance the interests of society and limit rights of a social group if they infringe upon the rights of another social group. Before it can be enacted, the legislation must survive two more readings, although approval of the bill is ultimately expected.